Jump to content

Timeline of space exploration

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Space history)

This is a timeline of space exploration which includes notable achievements, first accomplishments and milestones in humanity's exploration of outer space.

This timeline generally does not distinguish achievements by a specific country or private company, as it considers humanity as a whole. See otherwise the timeline of private spaceflight or look for achievements by each space agency.

Pre-20th century

[edit]
Date Event leading to space exploration Country Researcher(s) Ref(s).
1610 First telescopic observation of the night sky: discovery of the Galilean moons, lunar craters and the phases of Venus. Venice Galileo Galilei
1668 First reflecting telescope. England Isaac Newton
1781 First telescopic discovery of planet (Uranus). Great Britain William Herschel
1801 First discovery of asteroid (Ceres). Sicily Giuseppe Piazzi
1813 First exposition of the rocket equation based on Newton's third law of motion: Treatise on the Motion of Rockets. UK William Moore
1840 First clear telescopic photograph of another world: the Moon. United States John William Draper
1845 First proper observation of other galaxies which are termed "whirlpool nebulae". UK William Parsons
1861 A Journey Through Space makes first proposal of using rockets for space flight. UK William Leitch
1895 First proposal of space elevator. Russia Konstantin Tsiolkovsky

1900–1956

[edit]

1957–1959

[edit]
Date Mission achievements Country/organization Mission name Ref(s).
4 October 1957 First artificial satellite.
First human-made signals from space.
USSR Sputnik 1
3 November 1957 First mammal in orbit, the dog Laika. USSR Sputnik 2
31 January 1958 Confirmed existence of the Van Allen radiation belt. USA (ABMA) Explorer 1
17 March 1958 First use of solar power in space.
The oldest artificial object still in space.
USA (NRL) Vanguard 1
4 January 1959 First rocket to reach Earth escape velocity.

First spacecraft to attempt to impact the Moon's surface.
First artificial object in heliocentric orbit.
First detection of solar wind.

USSR Luna 1
17 February 1959 First weather satellite. USA (NRL) Vanguard 2
7 August 1959 First photograph of Earth from Earth orbit. USA (NASA) Explorer 6
13 September 1959 First spacecraft to impact another celestial body (the Moon).
First delivery of national pennants to a celestial body.
USSR Luna 2
4 October 1959 First photos of another world from space: the far side of the Moon.

First gravity assist.

USSR Luna 3

1960–1969

[edit]

1970–1979

[edit]

1980–1989

[edit]

1990–1999

[edit]
Date Mission success Country/organization Mission name Ref(s).
14 February 1990 First photograph of the whole Solar System (Family Portrait). USA (NASA) Voyager 1 [36]
24 April 1990 First telescope designed to be repaired in space. USA (NASA)
ESA
Hubble Space Telescope [37]
2 July 1990 First time a spacecraft coming from deep space uses the Earth for a gravity-assist manoeuvre. ESA Giotto [38]
21 October 1991 First asteroid flyby (951 Gaspra closest approach 1,600 km). USA (NASA) Galileo
1992 First confirmed observation of an exoplanet. Canada
Poland
Aleksander Wolszczan & Dale Frail
8 February 1992 First polar orbit around the Sun.

First mission to survey the space environment above and below the poles of the Sun.

USA (NASA)
ESA
Ulysses [39]
13 September 1992 First spacecraft to map Venus in its entirety. USA (NASA) Magellan [40]
22 March 1995 Record longest duration spaceflight to date (437.7 day by Valeri Polyakov). Russia (FKA) Mir
7 December 1995 First orbit of Jupiter. USA (NASA) Galileo
7 December 1995 First spacecraft to enter the atmosphere of a gas giant (Jupiter). USA (NASA) Galileo's atmospheric entry probe [41]
1995 First laser communication from space. Japan (JAXA, NICT) ETS-VI [42]
12 February 1997 First orbital radio observatory. Japan (ISAS) HALCA
4 July 1997 First operational rover on another planet (Mars). USA (NASA) Mars Pathfinder / Sojourner
17 September 1997 First spacecraft to use aerobraking to enter orbit (Martian orbit). USA (NASA) Mars Global Surveyor [43]
20 November 1998 First multinational space station.
Largest artificial object built in space to date.
Russia (FKA)
USA (NASA)
Europe (ESA)
Japan (JAXA)
Canada (CSA)
International Space Station

2000–2009

[edit]
Date Mission success Country/organization Mission name Ref(s).
14 February 2000 First orbit of an asteroid (433 Eros). USA (NASA) ESA NEAR Shoemaker
12 February 2001 First landing on an asteroid (433 Eros). USA (NASA) NEAR Shoemaker
November 2001 First laser communication in space between two objects. ESA FranceFrance (CNES) Artemis, SPOT 4 [44]
17 May 2004 First amateur spaceflight. USA (CSXT) CSXT GoFast [45]
1 July 2004 First orbit of Saturn. USA (NASA) ESA Italy (ASI) Cassini–Huygens
8 September 2004 First sample return beyond lunar orbit (solar wind). USA (NASA) Genesis
14 January 2005 First landing in the outer Solar System (Titan).

First landing on a moon other than Earth's Moon.

ESA USA (NASA) Italy (ASI) Cassini–Huygens
January–February 2005 First confirmed cryovolcano (Enceladus). ESA USA (NASA) Italy (ASI) Cassini–Huygens [46]
4 July 2005 First spacecraft to impact a comet (Tempel 1). USA (NASA) Deep Impact
19 November 2005 First asteroid ascent (25143 Itokawa).
First interplanetary escape without separating and discarding the landing gear.
Japan (JAXA) Hayabusa
15 January 2006 First sample return from a comet (81P/Wild). USA (NASA) Stardust [47]
3 January 2007 First confirmed lakes on the surface of another celestial body (lakes of Titan). USA (NASA) ESA Italy (ASI) Cassini–Huygens [48][49]
25 May 2008 First spacecraft to photograph another spacecraft landing on another celestial body (Phoenix, on Mars). USA (NASA) Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter [50]
8 November 2008 First discovery of lunar water in the form of ice.[note 4] India (ISRO) Chandrayaan-1 [51][52]
6 March 2009 First space telescope designated to search for Earth-like exoplanets. USA (NASA) Kepler Mission [53]
August 2009 First images of the structures in the rings of a planet (rings of Saturn). USA (NASA) ESA Italy (ASI) Cassini–Huygens [54][55]

2010–2019

[edit]

Since 2020

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ The record was set because the Moon was nearly at its furthest from Earth during the mission. Apollo 13's unique free return trajectory caused it to go approximately 100 kilometers (60 mi) further from the lunar far side than other Apollo lunar missions, but this was a minor contribution to the record.[26] A reconstruction of the trajectory by astrodynamicist Daniel Adamo in 2009 records the furthest distance as 400,046 kilometers (248,577 mi) at 7:34 pm EST (00:34:13 UTC). Apollo 10 holds the record for second-furthest at a distance of 399,806 kilometers (248,428 mi).[27]
  2. ^ Soviet spacecraft Vega 1 and Vega 2 and ESA spacecraft Giotto all made a flyby of Halley's Comet the year after, in 1986.
  3. ^ Although the discovery was retracted in 1994, and not confirmed until 2002.
  4. ^ On December 3, 1996 (prior to 2008), the US Department of Defense announced that Clementine data suggested evidence of ice at the lunar south pole. However, the discovery was not confirmed and Clementine data might have been misinterpreted.
  5. ^ The reason why it is BEAM (2016) rather than Genesis I (2006) is that BEAM was specifically designed for human habitation and was attached to the ISS, while Genesis I and Genesis II (2007) were technology demonstration prototypes for future space habitats.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Russian title Issledovaniye mirovykh prostranstv reaktivnymi priborami (Исследование мировых пространств реактивными приборами)
  2. ^ Siddiqi, Asif (2000). Challenge to Apollo : the Soviet Union and the space race, 1945-1974 (PDF). Washington, D.C.: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA History Div. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  3. ^ Chertok, Boris (31 January 2005). Rockets and People (Volume 1 ed.). National Aeronautics and Space Administration. p. 9. Archived from the original on 28 April 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Chronology: Cowboys to V-2s to the Space Shuttle to lasers". Wsmr.army.mil. Archived from the original on 13 October 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  5. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-02-21. Retrieved 2013-01-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ "Part 1". History.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on 25 January 2008. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  7. ^ Siddiqi, Asif (2000). Challenge to Apollo: The Soviet Union and the Space Race, 1945–1974 (PDF). NASA. p. 95.
  8. ^ "The Space Review: Old Reliable: The story of the Redstone". www.thespacereview.com. Archived from the original on 2023-06-02. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  9. ^ "The United States Army | Redstone Arsenal Historical Information". history.redstone.army.mil. Archived from the original on 2023-08-03. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  10. ^ "Able 5A (Pioneer P-30) | Pioneer P-30". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2023-02-04. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  11. ^ "Yuri Gagarin and Vostok 1, the First Human Spaceflight". Planetary Society. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  12. ^ "Yuri Gagarin: Who was the first person in space?". BBC. Archived from the original on 8 October 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  13. ^ "Discussion". Space Policy. 14 (1): 6. 1998-02-01. Bibcode:1998SpPol..14....5.. doi:10.1016/S0265-9646(97)00038-6.
  14. ^ "In Depth | Mariner 02". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2019-04-15. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  15. ^ a b "In Depth | Mariner 04". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2019-04-15. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  16. ^ "Luna 9". NASA. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  17. ^ "In Depth | Lunar Orbiter 1". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2018-11-15. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  18. ^ a b "In Depth | Lunar Orbiter 4". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2020-02-17. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  19. ^ "In Depth | Surveyor 6". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2020-02-17. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  20. ^ "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on 2019-06-29. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  21. ^ a b "In Depth | Apollo 8". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2019-04-20. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  22. ^ "In Depth | Apollo 10". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2019-04-20. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  23. ^ a b "In Depth | Apollo 11". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2019-04-20. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  24. ^ "In Depth | Apollo 12". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2019-04-20. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  25. ^ Glenday 2010, p. 13.
  26. ^ Adamo 2009, p. 37.
  27. ^ Adamo 2009, p. 41.
  28. ^ "In Depth | Apollo 15". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2019-04-20. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  29. ^ a b c d "In Depth | Pioneer 10". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2019-05-31. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  30. ^ a b c d e "In Depth | Mariner 10". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2020-02-17. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  31. ^ a b c "Solar System Exploration: Missions: By Target: Our Solar System: Past: ISEE-3/ICE". 2015-06-10. Archived from the original on 2015-06-10. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  32. ^ Merkys, A. J.; Laurinavicius, R. S.; Svegzdiene, D. V. (1984). "Plant growth, development and embryogenesis during Salyut-7 flight". Advances in Space Research. 4 (10): 55–63. doi:10.1016/0273-1177(84)90224-2. ISSN 0273-1177. PMID 11539644. Archived from the original on 2023-02-02. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  33. ^ "First species of plant to flower in space". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on 2019-04-22. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  34. ^ a b "In Depth | Voyager 2". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2019-04-18. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  35. ^ "ESA Science & Technology - A brief introduction to exoplanets". sci.esa.int. Archived from the original on 2023-02-04. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  36. ^ "Voyagers". Archived from the original on 2009-03-31. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
  37. ^ "In Depth | Hubble Space Telescope". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2019-04-20. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  38. ^ "Giotto overview". European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 2019-07-06. Retrieved 2019-07-11.
  39. ^ "In Depth | Ulysses". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2019-04-20. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  40. ^ "In Depth | Magellan". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  41. ^ "In Depth | Galileo Probe". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2019-04-19. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  42. ^ Araki, Kenichi; Arimoto, Yoshinori; Shikatani, Motokazu; Toyoda, Masahiro; Toyoshima, Morio; Takahashi, Tetsuo; Kanda, Seiji; Shiratama, Koichi (1996). "Performance evaluation of laser communication equipment onboard the ETS-VI satellite". In Mecherle, G. Stephen (ed.). Free-Space Laser Communication Technologies VIII. Vol. 2699. SPIE. p. 52. doi:10.1117/12.238434.
  43. ^ "In Depth | Mars Global Surveyor". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2019-04-20. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  44. ^ "A world first: Data transmission between European satellites using laser light". 22 November 2001. Archived from the original on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  45. ^ Rocketman Enterprises (2005). CSXT: Civilian Space eXploration Team. Retrieved on 2007-01-27. http://www.the-rocketman.com/CSXT/default2.asp%7C[permanent dead link] http://www.the-rocketman.com/CSXT/about/teamlist.htm#%7C Archived 2012-04-15 at the Wayback Machine http://www.the-rocketman.com/go-fast.html Archived 2015-12-09 at the Wayback Machine
  46. ^ Porco, C. C.; Helfenstein, P.; Thomas, P. C.; Ingersoll, A. P.; Wisdom, J.; West, R.; Neukum, G.; Denk, T.; Wagner, R. (March 10, 2006). "Cassini Observes the Active South Pole of Enceladus" (PDF). Science. 311 (5766): 1393–1401. Bibcode:2006Sci...311.1393P. doi:10.1126/science.1123013. PMID 16527964. S2CID 6976648. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  47. ^ "In Depth | Stardust". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2019-04-25. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  48. ^ Stofan, E. R.; Elachi, C.; Lunine, Jonathan I.; Lorenz, R. D.; Stiles, B.; Mitchell, K. L.; Ostro, S.; Soderblom, L.; et al. (2007). "The lakes of Titan" (PDF). Nature. 445 (1): 61–64. Bibcode:2007Natur.445...61S. doi:10.1038/nature05438. PMID 17203056. S2CID 4370622. Archived from the original on 2024-02-23. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  49. ^ "Titan Has Liquid Lakes, Scientists Report in Nature". NASA/JPL. January 3, 2007. Archived from the original on May 23, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2007.
  50. ^ "In Depth | Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2020-04-03. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  51. ^ "In Depth | Clementine". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2019-04-20. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  52. ^ "NASA - NSSDCA - Experiment - Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on 2019-05-17. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  53. ^ "NASA launches Kepler Mission: Search for Earth-like worlds". Spacechornology.com. Archived from the original on 22 January 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  54. ^ "About the Mission | Mission". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2023-02-04. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  55. ^ "The Tallest Peaks". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2023-02-04. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  56. ^ "JAXA | IKAROS Mission Overview". global.jaxa.jp. Archived from the original on 2023-03-31. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  57. ^ a b "In Depth | ARTEMIS". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2023-02-04. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  58. ^ "In Depth | Curiosity (MSL)". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2019-06-16. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  59. ^ "In Depth | Voyager 1". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2019-04-18. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  60. ^ "In Depth | Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2018-12-28. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  61. ^ "In Depth | Rosetta & Philae". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2019-05-25. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  62. ^ Chang, Kenneth (November 12, 2014). "European Space Agency's Spacecraft Lands on Comet's Surface". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 12, 2014. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  63. ^ "Overview | Dawn". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2023-02-03. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  64. ^ "In Depth | New Horizons". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2019-04-22. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  65. ^ "Meals Ready to Eat: Expedition 44 Crew Members Sample Leafy Greens Grown on Space Station". Nasa. 7 July 2015. Archived from the original on 26 May 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  66. ^ Abbott, Benjamin P.; et al. (LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration) (2016). "Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger". Phys. Rev. Lett. 116 (6): 061102. arXiv:1602.03837. Bibcode:2016PhRvL.116f1102A. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.061102. PMID 26918975. S2CID 124959784.
  67. ^ Castelvecchi, Davide; Witze, Alexandra (11 February 2016). "Einstein's gravitational waves found at last". Nature News. doi:10.1038/nature.2016.19361. S2CID 182916902. Archived from the original on 16 February 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  68. ^ Foust, Jeff (24 November 2015). "Blue Origin Flies — and Lands — New Shepard Suborbital Spacecraft". Space News. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2015. We're going to take that same exact architecture that was demonstrated and use it on our the booster stage of our orbital vehicle
  69. ^ "BEAM Successfully Installed to the International Space Station – Space Station". blogs.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
  70. ^ Chang, Kenneth (2017-09-14). "Cassini Vanishes Into Saturn, Its Mission Celebrated and Mourned". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2018-07-08. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  71. ^ "Hayabusa 2". NASA Science Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2019-09-04. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
  72. ^ "In Depth | InSight". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2019-06-23. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  73. ^ "Ultima Thule: Clearest image yet of 'snowman' space rock released by NASA". Sky News. Archived from the original on 2019-01-02. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  74. ^ Lyons, Kate (2019-01-03). "Far side of the moon: China's Chang'e 4 probe makes historic touchdown". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2019-01-03. Retrieved 2019-01-03.
  75. ^ Barbosa, Rui (3 January 2019). "China lands Chang'e-4 mission on the far side of the Moon". Nasaspacefight. Archived from the original on 3 January 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  76. ^ Drake, Nadia (10 April 2019). "First-ever picture of a black hole unveiled". National Geographic. Archived from the original on April 10, 2019. Retrieved 27 Jan 2021.
  77. ^ Cowing, Keith (2022-04-26). "Two Largest Marsquakes To Date Recorded From Planet's Far Side". SpaceRef. Archived from the original on 2024-02-23. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  78. ^ "NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Succeeds in Historic First Flight". www.nasa.gov. 2021-04-19. Archived from the original on 2021-04-20. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  79. ^ Potter, Sean (2021-04-21). "NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover Extracts First Oxygen from Red Planet". NASA. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  80. ^ "Nasa device extracts breathable oxygen from thin Martian air". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 2021-04-22. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  81. ^ "In Depth | Parker Solar Probe". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2019-06-23. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  82. ^ "In Depth | James Webb Space Telescope". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2021-12-25. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  83. ^ Bardan, Roxana (2022-10-11). "NASA Confirms DART Mission Impact Changed Asteroid's Motion in Space". NASA. Archived from the original on 2022-10-11. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  84. ^ Robert Lea (2023-08-25). "Why Chandrayaan-3 landed near the moon's south pole — and why everyone else wants to get there too". Space.com. Archived from the original on 2023-09-22. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  85. ^ Foust, Jeff (2024-04-27). "SpaceX making progress on Starship in-space refueling technologies". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  86. ^ Harwood, William (2024-06-06). "SpaceX's Super Heavy-Starship rocket launches on "epic" test flight - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  87. ^ Billings, Leonard David, Lee. "China Makes History with First-Ever Samples from the Moon's Far Side". Scientific American. Retrieved 2024-06-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
[edit]